Engine for rock-drills.



Nn. 661,686. Patented Nov. I3, |900. A. BALL &IT. OFFICER.

L ENGINE F0l'1 ROCK DBILLS.

(Application led Mar. 22, 1900.)

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ma Nonms PETERs co. PHoTcLLrrno.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT BALL AND THOMAS OFFICER, OF CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNORSTO THE SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE FOR ROCK-DRILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 661,686, datedNovember 13, 1900.

Application led March 22, 1900. Serial No. 9,678. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: auxiliary valve upon which such compressed oBe it known that We, ALBERT BALL and air acts, such a means being setforth in Pat- THOMAS OFFICER, residents of Claremont, in ent No.603,358, granted to the SullivanMathecountyofSnllivanandStateofNeWHampcllinery Company May 3,1898, asassignee 5 shire, have invented a new and useful Imof Albert Ball. InParents Nos. 615,234 and provement in Engines for Rock-Drills; and615,236, granted to the Sullivan Machinery 55 we do herebydeclare thefollowing to be afull, Company December 6, 1898, on applications clear,and exact description thereof. filed by us are set forth other means forregn- Our invention relates to direct-acting fluidlating and governingthe operation of pistons io pressure engines--such, for example, asthose of engines of the type to which our present employed for operatingdrills or other recipinvention pertains, and reference may be. had 6orocating tools; and has for its object to proto the said patents fordetailed description of vide a simple and efficient means for so govsuchparts of the engine as are not specificerning the speed of travel of thepiston when ally described herein. i

the tool is doing no Work as to avoid injury In an application lled ofeven date hereto the engine and discomfort to the user of with Wehaveset forth and claimed agovern- 65 the saine, such means beingreadily applied ing means in which live iiuid at approxito engines ofthe construction heretofore used mately the normal working pressure isutilwithout any material reorganization of the ized for actuatingagoverning-valve to throt- 2o mechanism. tle the supply of air to themain cylinder of The type of engine to which our present the engine whenthe main piston exceeds its 7o invention is applicable embodies afluid-presnormal stroke. Our present invention also sure-actuated devicefor operating the main contemplates the employment of agoverningvalvewhich controls the admission of air to valve operated by live iiuid atapproximately z5 and the exhaust of air from the main cylinthe normalworking pressure; but instead of der. throttling the supply of air tothe main cyl- 75 Our invention consists in a means for so inder wepropose to throttle the supply of air controlling the {luid-pressureapplied to the to, or the exhaust from, the cylinder in which device foractuating the main valve as to the actuating-piston for the main valveopregulate the supply of live Huid to the main erates, thus retardingthe movement of such cylinder, and thus prevent the engine from mainvalve, and consequently retarding the 8c racing when it is doing nouseful Work. The movement of the main piston. means employed forregulating the fiuid-pres- Our invention is illustrated in the accomsureapplied to the device for operating the panying'drawings, in Whichmainvalve is preferably actuated by live Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection fluid at approximately4 the normal working of an engine providedwith one form of our 85 pressure. invention. Fig. 2 is a rear endelevation of The fluid employed for operating engines the engine, theouter cap-plate being removed in accordance With our present inventionmay in order to show the reversing-valve mechan- 4o be either steam,air, or other gas under presism, the main valve, its operating device,and

sure; but for convenience ofv description we the casing for said partsbeing also removed. 9o shall designate the operating iiuid as airy, Fig.3 is an end elevation similar to Fig. 2, since that is the agent mostgenerally embut showing the easing for the main valve ployed in enginesof this general character. and its operating device in position and em-It has been proposed prior to our present bodying a modifiedconstruction. Fig. Llis a `invention to automatically govern the speedvertical longitudinal section of the rear end of the mainoperating-pistons of direct-actof an engine embodying the form of ourining engines by means of the air compressed vention shown in Fig. 3.Fig. 5 comprises a in front of the piston in uconnection with an rearand a side elevation of the reversingthe engine comprises the followingparts,y

which are substantially the same, except as=` will be speci licallypointed out, as those shown and described in our Patent No. 615,236,hereinbefore referred to: The main'cylinfler' 1 of the engine contains areciprocating piston 2, from which projects a piston rod or stem 3, tothe outer end of which is attachedr the drill or ot-her tool which isoperated by, the engine. rlhe rifle-bar 4, of the usual` construction,is provided at its outer endl with a pinion 5, which operates areversingvalve 6 by means of arack 7 on the upper?.

edge thereof, this pinion and valve being lo-l cated in a chamber 8,formed by a cap 9,v bolted to the rear end plate 10 of the cylinder 1.The rotation or partial rotation of thel rie-bar4 is effected by meansof a nut in theA piston 2 as the-piston is moved back and'forth in thecylinder, as is usual in engines of this` character. The live air foroperating the piston is admitted to an air-chest 11 through a port 12and from the air-chest 11 through a port or passage 13 to the fron t endof the cylinder, a spring-actuated valve 14 beingso located in thispassage as to be raised by the air admitted through the port o'r passage13, but preventing the return of air through that passage, and thusinsuring the formation of a compressed-air cushion for the piston at thefront end of the cylinder. Admission of live air from the air-chest 11to the rear end of the cylinder is through ports 15 and 16,7

and the exhaust from the front end is through ports 17 and 18 and themain exhaust-port 19 and from the rear end of the cylinder through theports 2O and 21 and the main exhaustport 19. The valve 22 forcontrolling the admission and exhaust is connected to and operated byadifferential piston device 23, the end 23 of which operates in acylinder 24, formed at one end of the air-chest 11, and the smaller end23b of which operates in a cylinder 25, formed in the other end of thevalve-chest 11. The chamber 8 receives live air from the chest 11through a passage 26,l and air is'supplied to the cylinder 24 from thechamber 8 through a passage 27. The exhaust from the cylinder 24 isthrough a passage 28, a bridging-groove in' the reversing-valve 6, andan exhaust-passage 29, opening to the atmosphere. The plate 30, providedwith a port 31 and a longitudinal groove 32, communicating therewith, isthe same in construction and operation as the corresponding device shownin our Patent No. 615,236,

and the same means for setting the plate in order to regulate the normalstroke of the main piston may be employed,-such means being indicated at33 in Fig-1 and shown in part in Fig. 2. All of the parts thus fardescribed are constructed and arranged to operate in the manner setforth in therpatent just mentioned, and their operation need not,therefore, Ibe here described. to govern the speed of the vnna'in pistonwhen the tool operated thereby is doing no Work, we propose to regulatethe speed of the double piston 23 by the following means: A plug-valve34, preferably having a conical or truste-conical inner end,vasindicated in the drawings, is'located in such position as to beproject-ed into the exhaust-passage 29 and thus throttle the exhaustfrom the cylinder 24, whereby the return of the piston23 to the reverseposition to that which it occupies in Fig. 1 of the drawings will beretarded. This valve34 is actuated by live, fluid introduced Abehind itthrough the passage 35, the opening between which and the chamber 8 isuncovered 7by the reversing-valve 6 when the vlatter is moved to a pointbeyond the normal limit of its movement by reason of a stroke of themain piston beyond its normal.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, the several parts of the engine,except as hereinafter specied, are the same as in those illustrated inFigs. 1 and'2, and the description of the duplicate parts heretoforegiven may be read in connection with these iigures. lnstead ofvemploying a differential piston device for operating the main valve 22we here Vemploya double piston 36, the ends 362L and 36b of which areofthe same diameter, as are also, of course, the corresponding cylinders37 and 38. A passage 39 extends from the cylinder 37 to the chamber 8,and a similar passage 40 extends from the cylinder 38 to the chamber 8,the former opening into the chamber through a port 39L and the latterthrough a similar port 40, The passages 26 and 28'are the ,same inlocation and function as the parts designated by the samereference-numerals in connection with the figures already described. Forthe purposeof controlling the application of duid-pressure to the piston36 We provide a reversing-valve hfth'at has on its upper edge Figs. 1and 2. The slide-plate 41, employed in connection with thereversing-valve 6, is provided at its respective ends on one side withshoulders or lugs 4la and 41b and in the kside opposite these lugs witha bridging groove or recess 42. As'the reversing-valve is moved in theone direction or the other by thepinion 5 it strikesagainst thecorrespond- Aing lug on the'slide-plate 41 and moves the said plate soas to admit live air to the corresponding cylinder 37 or 38, as the casemay be, through the corresponding port 39a or 40 in the passage 39 or40, at the same time closing the other of these ports. When the plate 4lis moved so as to close the port 39% it puts the passage 28 incommunication with the exhaust-passage 29, and thus exhausts thecylinder 37 and permits the live air admit-ted to cylinder 38 throughport. 40a and passage 40 to move the piston to its rearward position,

In order to retard the movement of the main piston when its strokeexceeds the normal, we provide a differential valve 43 for partiallyclosing either the passage 39 or the passage 40, the valve being shownin Figs. 3

and 4 as located so as to throttle the air in the passage 40. This valveis of the dierential type, because the pressure actuating it to effectthe throttling of the air-supply to the cylinder 37 or the cylinder 38,as the case may be, is substantially the same as that which itthrottles. This pressure of live air is applied to the rear of the valvethrough a passage 44, the end of this passage which opens int-o thechamber 8 being uncovered by the reversing-valve when the latter movesto a greater than the normal distance, as is indicated in Fig.3. Theutilization of this form of the invention may be made in connection witheither of the live-air passages 39 and 40, as has already been stated,or it may be employed in connection with both of them if desired, thoughits utilization wit-h one of the said passages only will probably be allthat is required in any case.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, the valves, ports, and passages are thesame as those shown in Figsl and 2,except that adiierential valve 45 isemployed in connection with the passage 28, leading from the cylinder 24to the reversing-valve 6. The passage 46, leading to the space behindthe valve 45, is in communication at its other end with the chamber 8when the valve 6 moves an abnormal distance, so as to uncover suchopening. The throttling action in'this case is substantially the same asthatin the construction shown in Figs. l and 2, except that it takesplace between the cylinder and the reversing-valve, whereas in theconstruction iirst described the throttling takes place in the passage29, leading from the valve 6 to the atmosphere. In each of themodilications described a small opening 47 is preferably provided fromthe chamber in which the throttling-valve is located to the atmosphere,in order that when the supply of live air lo such chamber is cut off theair previously introduced therein to actuate the valve may exhausttherefrom and permit the return of the throttling-valve to itsinoperative position.

The form and location of the parts utilized in practicing our inventionmay be varied from what is specifically shown and described Withoutdeparting from our invention, and we therefore desire it to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in these respects except inso far as limitations are specifically embodied in the claims.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a direct-acting, fluid-pressure engine, the com bination with acylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve forcontrolling the same, a piston working in said cylinder, atluid-pressure-actuated device for operating said main valve, acontroller for said duid-pressure-actuated device and means forrendering said controller active when the piston exceeds its normalstroke.

2. In a direct-acting, fluid-pressure engine, a cylinder provided withinlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve for controlling the same, amain piston working in said cylinder, an auxiliary piston' for operatingsaid main valve, means for applying fluid-pressure to said auxiliarypiston, a controller for said auxiliary piston and means for actuatingsaid controller when the main piston exceeds its normal stroke.

3. In a direct-acting, fluid-pressure engine, the combination with acylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve forcontrolling the same, a main piston working in said cylinder, anauxiliary cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports and a piston in saidauxiliary cylinder for operating the main valve, means operated by themain pist-on for controlling the inlet and exhaust ports of saidauxiliary cylinder and means for partially closing one of said portswhen the main piston exceeds its normal stroke.

4. In a direct-acting, fiuidpressure engine, the combination with acylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports, of a main valve, a mainpiston Working in said cylinder, an auxiliary cylinder having inlet andexhaust ports and a piston in said auxiliary cylinder for operating themain valve, a governing-valve for said auxiliary piston and areversing-valve and ports and passages for effecting the operation ofthe governing-valve when the main piston exceeds its normal stroke.

In testimony whereof we, the said ALBERT BALL and THOMAS OFFICER, havehereunto set our hands.

ALBERT BALL. THOMAS OFFICER.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. BALL, JOHN H. CossITT.`

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